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Creativity and Continuity in the Arts of Iran

The peoples of Ancient Iran created a tremendously rich and varied artistic tradition. The skill and creativity of Iranian artists is evident across many media, including ceramics, sculpture, architecture, metalwork, and weaving. While some themes of Iranian art ebbed and flowed, others, such as the depictions of bulls and animal-combat, surface repeatedly in different phases of Ancient Iranian culture, from the Neolithic to the rise of Islam. Meanwhile, vigorous dialogue with the artistic traditions of neighboring regions – especially Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and the Greek world – expanded and enriched the parameters of artistic creation.

3rd and 2nd Millennium: Elamites and the foundation of Iranian art

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  Bronze figure, Proto Elamite, ca. 3000 BC
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  Chogha Zanbil, Middle Elamite, ca. 1250 BC, by Dan Waugh
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  Chogha Zanbil profile
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  Silver cup with image of woman and Elamite inscription, from Fars, ca. 3rd millennium BC
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  Stone vessel with animals, from Jiroft, ca. 3rd millennium BC
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  Bronze statue of Queen Napirasu, from Susa, ca. 14th century BC

1st Millennium BC: Iranian art flourishes, culminating with the Achaemenids

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  Hamadan (Ecbatana) ruins, ca. 8th century BC
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  Kneeling lamassu from Persepolis, ca. 5th century BC
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  Bronze statue of a Parthian nobleman in full attire, from Khuzestan, ca. 2nd century BC to 2nd century CE
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  Ceramic rhyton with decorative bull, from Gilan, ca. 1st millennium BC, Tehran National Museum
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  Bronze cup with griffins and fortifications, from Lorestan, ca. 1st millennium BC, Tehran National Museum

1st Millennium CE: Imperial art on a new scale, with many global influences

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  Glass necklace, from Sasanian Susa, ca. 3rd century CE to 7th century CE
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  Stucco bust of a Sasanian nobleman, from Baluchestan, ca. 3rd century CE to 7th century CE
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  Golden plate in Hellenistic (Greek/Roman) style depicting Dionysos and retinue, from Qunduz, Afghanistan, ca. 3rd century CE
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  Bronze belt buckle depicting Parthian nobleman on horseback, from Georgia, ca. 1st - 3rd century CE
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  Silver sculpture of hawk preying on rabbit, from Luristan, ca. 1st century CE